MICKELSON HITS HIS SPOTS

With the wind rising early Friday afternoon, Phil Mickelson had difficulty marking his ball on Augusta National's 18th green, which sits on a bluff.

Mickelson was afraid the ball might move and bring a one-stroke penalty, so he didn't ground his blade, making the putt that much harder.

It was Mickelson's biggest hardship in the second round of the Masters.

Mickelson had one of three bogey-free rounds, a 4-under-par 68, that moved him from a tie for 11th to a share of third at 5-under 139 after 36 holes.

"If there was any one key, I think that I played for par on a lot of holes and did make par and scatter some birdies in there," said Mickelson, the 2004 and 2006 champion who is three back of leader Trevor Immelman. "The front nine played much easier than the back when the wind started swirling, making it harder to pull the right club and get the right section of the green.

"But to go through a round without a bogey was pretty good. I seemed to put the ball in the spots where I was able to make some easy pars. Not necessarily great birdie chances but easy pars."

Except for missing a 4-foot birdie putt at No. 15, Mickelson was pleased with his work on the slick greens, especially a 30-footer for birdie at No. 17.

"I had made so many good par putts from 4 to 6 feet, so to miss the one at the 15th left a bad taste," he said. "But making the one at 17 was a big boost and leaves me feeling pretty good about the day. . . . I'm only a couple shots off the lead, and I'll be able to play late in the afternoon [today] and hopefully on Sunday as well."

Mickelson is tied with Ian Poulter and Steve Flesch, who shot the tournament's low round (67) thanks to going 5 under on the par-5s with three birdies and an eagle at No. 13, where he hit his second shot, a 234-yard 3-iron, to 2 1/2 feet.

"I wanted to hit a 4-iron, but my caddie talked me into hitting a 3, and he made the right call, I guess," Flesch said. "The course is extremely different from the last time I was here [2005], and after my practice rounds, I realized it was going to be a big week for my mid- and long irons. That's OK. That's kind of the strength of my game."

STREAK ENDS

Fred Couples, the 1992 winner, missed a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for 72-148, missing the cut by a shot. He finished in a tie for 45th, one place too high in his bid to make his 24th straight cut and break the record he shared with three-time champion Gary Player.

"I didn't know what [the cut] was," said Couples, 48, the only winner who hadn't missed a cut. "It's been a long time, and it's been fun. But winning was the big honor, not making the cuts. I don't consider that that great of a deal. Playing well in this tournament is my goal." . . . Player, 72, shot 78-161 in his 51st start, breaking the record he shared with four-time winner Arnold Palmer. . . . Justin Rose, who finished 12th or better in the four majors in 2007 and shared the first-round lead with Trevor Immelman at 68, hit into the water and made triple-bogey 8 at No. 15 in shooting 78 to drop into a tie for 29th. . . . University of Hartford grad Jerry Kelly bogeyed six of the first seven holes for 77-149. Hunter Mahan, winner of the 2007 Travelers Championship, shot 1 under on the front nine, then bogeyed Nos. 10-12 for 72-149.